clepsydra
Americannoun
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clepsydras,
plural
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clepsydrae
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of clepsydra
1640–50; < Latin < Greek klepsýdra, equivalent to kleps- ( klep-, stem of kléptein to steal, conceal + -s- formative in derivation) + hydra, derivative of hýdōr water
Explanation
Drip, drip, drip. This used to be the sound of a clepsydra — a special water clock used by ancient civilizations. The clepsydra was an early and innovative way to keep track of time. It combines the Greek roots klept-, meaning "steal," and hydr-, meaning "water." The clepsydra worked by measuring time through the steady flow of water from one container to another — as if one container was gradually stealing water from the other. The clepsydra was used by the Greeks, Egyptians, and other ancient civilizations to time speeches, monitor cooking, and even keep time during court sessions.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Empedocles performed his experiment with a household implement people had used for centuries, the so-called clepsydra or “water thief,” which was used as a kitchen ladle.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Instead of telling when, as the sundial did, the clepsydra, by measuring a given interval, told how long, which was a very different thing indeed.
From Christopher and the Clockmakers by William F. (William Frederick) Stecher
The latter defect was remedied by keeping the level of the water in the clepsydra uniform, the volume of that discharged being noted.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 "Cincinnatus" to "Cleruchy" by Various
It is pretty clear that the first request of the Burgundian King was for a clepsydra of some kind.
From The Letters of Cassiodorus Being A Condensed Translation Of The Variae Epistolae Of Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator by Thomas Hodgkin
Each of the sides had a sort of dial, and the building formerly contained a clepsydra or water-clock.
From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2 Amiel to Atrauli by Various
Smaller clepsydrae of glass were very early used in place of the sun-dial, to mark the hours.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 "Cincinnatus" to "Cleruchy" by Various
The flight of time in New England houses was marked without doors by sun-dials; within, by noon-marks, hour-glasses, and rarely by clepsydras, or water-clocks.
From Customs and Fashions in Old New England by Alice Morse Earle
Well," he said, "clepsydras always work better when nearly full than when nearly empty.
From Andivius Hedulio Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire by Edward Lucas White
The Arabian astronomers also devoted themselves to the construction and perfection of astronomical instruments, to the measurement of time by clocks of various kinds, by clepsydras and sun-dials.
From History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science by John William Draper
And in Rome the sun-dials, the clepsydras and the hour-glass were used for the same purpose, and more generally than in Greece, to regulate the hours of business and pleasure.
From Inventions in the Century by William Henry Doolittle
"As near accuracy," I said, "as any clepsydras ever made."
From Andivius Hedulio Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire by Edward Lucas White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
